‘Firefly bird diverters’ to save the Great Indian Bustard

Great indian Bustard 

Source: The Hindu

News: Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change(MoEFCC) along with Wildlife Conservation Society(WCS) has come up with a unique initiative — a “firefly bird diverter” for overhead power lines in areas where Great Indian Bustard (GIB) populations are found in the wild.

Facts:

• What is Firefly bird diverters?These are flaps installed on power lines, a reason for many death among GIB. They work as reflectors for bird species like the GIB. Birds can spot them from a distance of about 50 meters and change their path of flight to avoid collision with power lines.

Great Indian Bustard:

• It is one of the heaviest flying birds (weighing up to 15kgs).They inhabits dry grasslands and scrublands on the Indian subcontinent
• Habitat: It is endemic to the Indian subcontinent. It is found in Rajasthan (Desert National park), Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh in India and parts of Pakistan.
• IUCN Red List: It is a critically Endangered species with less than 150 birds left in the wild.
• Indian Wildlife (Protection)Act,1972: Schedule I
• CITES: Appendix I
• Threats:
  • Death by collision with infrastructure, particularly power lines and wind turbines,
  • Depletion of grasslands,
  • hunting,
  • development of mines and human habitation in and around their habitats among others.
• Conservation Initiatives:
  • Project Great Indian Bustard: It was launched by Rajasthan Government with the objective of conservation of the remaining population of critically endangered Great Indian Bustard(Ardeotis nigriceps) locally called Godawan.

Additional Facts:

• IUCN Species Survival Commission(SSC): It is a science-based network of more than 9,000 volunteer experts from almost every country of the world, all working together towards achieving the vision of, “A just world that values and conserves nature through positive action to reduce the loss of diversity of life on earth”.